Presolicitation
Turn Key Chiller Equipment (Purchase and Install)
Department of Veterans Affairs
AI summaryThe Department of Veterans Affairs (Network Contracting Office 16) wants a contractor to remove an old chiller and install a new 120-ton Trane air-cooled chiller for the OR Chiller Replacement project under solicitation 36C25627Q0087. Only certified service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) can bid. The work is in Pineville, LA, per Amendment 0001, which corrects the earlier Shreveport entry. The response due date is November 30, 2026, 10:30 AM Central. More in the summary
Advance notice of a coming solicitation, not a bid yet. If it asks for capability statements, sending one is free and puts you on Department of Veterans Affairs's list before the solicitation is posted. See the contact
A newer version of this notice was posted Oct 26, 2026. See the latest version.
AI summary Beta
Summary of another version of this notice: check what changed on SAM.gov.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (Network Contracting Office 16) wants a contractor to remove an old chiller and install a new 120-ton Trane air-cooled chiller for the OR Chiller Replacement project under solicitation 36C25627Q0087. Only certified service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) can bid. The work is in Pineville, LA, per Amendment 0001, which corrects the earlier Shreveport entry. The response due date is November 30, 2026, 10:30 AM Central.
Who can bid (6)
- Certified service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) listed in the SBA certification database (DSBS). This is a total SDVOSB set-aside; joint ventures must be certified too and send their agreement.
- Bid guarantee (bid bond) of 20 percent of the bid price or $100,000, whichever is less, submitted with the proposal
- A 30-hour OSHA certified superintendent from your own staff, fully dedicated to this project while work is on site
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- Safety record: no more than three serious, one repeat or one willful OSHA violation in the past three years, or an explanation; plus an experience modification rate (EMR) letter from your insurance carrier, with an explanation if it is above 1.0
- Limitations on subcontracting: the certificate marks special trade construction, so no more than 75% of the amount paid by the Government may go to firms that are not certified SDVOSBs, not counting materials
- VETS-4212 report (annual veteran workforce report) completed and accepted before award, because the award is expected to exceed $150,000
How to submit: One email with a single consolidated PDF attachment (no larger than 10 MB) holding all volumes and a copy of the bid bond, sent to the contract specialist in SF 1442 block 8 (andrew.misfeldt@va.gov). What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (12)
From the version posted Oct 26, 2026.
- Serious: SDVOSB set-aside; SAM.gov does not state a set-aside. Only certified SDVOSBs (including certified joint ventures) can bid; the SAM.gov fields say no set-aside is stated, but the solicitation and Brand Name J&A say 100 percent SDVOSB.
- Serious: Bid bond due with the proposal. A bid guarantee of 20 percent of the bid price or $100,000 (whichever is less) must be sent with the offer, with a wet-signed, notarized bond; a missing or illegible bond can get the offer rejected.
- Worth checking: Brand-name chiller only. The Government says the Trane CGAM120 is the only chiller that fits its existing Trane controls, so you must price that model and use authorized Trane Service for startup.
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- Worth checking: Site visit on November 4, 2026. One organized site visit is held at 10:30 AM (time zone not stated) and it is the only one; the text does not say it is required or give its meeting place.
- Worth checking: Attached wage determination covers Caddo, not stated for Pineville. Davis-Bacon wage rates apply, but the attached wage determination LA20260031 lists the Louisiana county of Caddo while Amendment 0001 puts the work in Pineville; ask the contracting officer which wage determination governs.
- Worth checking: Short 30-day work window after a lead-time delay. Work must finish within 30 calendar days of notice to proceed, which is issued only once the chiller is available; schedules, safety plan and submittals are due within 10 business days of the notice to proceed.
- Worth checking: Past performance must match size and be hospital work. Projects must be recent, between $100,000 and $250,000, done as prime in a hospital or medical space; offerors without relevant history get a neutral rating and may not win.
- Worth checking: Missing safety and surety forms lower the rating. Exhibit D (safety record) and Exhibit E (surety form) must be in the proposal or the offer is rated lower than ones that include them.
- Minor: Place of performance changed by amendment. Amendment 0001 changes the place of work from Shreveport to Pineville, LA; the statement of work and J&A already name Pineville.
- Minor: Question deadline shows two different times. Questions are due November 10, 2026 at 10:00 AM in the SF 1442 text but 10:30 AM in the general proposal information; send yours early to be safe.
- Minor: Buy American construction materials rules apply. The solicitation includes the Buy American clause for construction materials, which can affect the chiller and other equipment sourcing.
- Minor: Work hours are unclear. The statement of work says work is performed at 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; ask whether it means between those times.
Read from the notice and 10 attachments. Show which files.
- 36C25627Q0087 0001.docx (read)
- 36C25627Q0087.docx (read)
- Final OR CHILLER REPLACEMENT SOW.docx (read)
- JA- BRAND NAME s.pdf (read)
- LA20260031.pdf (read)
- 36C25627Q0087 EXHIBIT D.docx (read)
- 36C25627Q0087 EXHIBIT B.docx (read)
- 36C25627Q0087 EXHIBIT E.docx (read)
- 36C25627Q0087 EXHIBIT A.docx (read)
- 36C25627Q0087 EXHIBIT C.docx (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Disconnect and remove the existing chiller, using a crane, and dispose of it under federal, state and local rules
- Supply and install one (1) new 120-ton Trane Air-Cooled Scroll Packaged Chiller, model CGAM120, with standard finned condenser coils (not microchannel)
- Insulate new and changed chilled water piping, refill the loop with glycol, and reconnect piping and electrical
- Start up and commission the unit; startup must be done by authorized Trane Service
- Train VA staff and deliver operation and maintenance manuals in print and digital form
- Provide a one-year parts and labor warranty and a five-year compressor warranty
- Follow VA safety and infection control rules, with containment if work is in or near patient care areas
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price construction contract (negotiated, best value tradeoff)
- Period of performance
- Begin within 10 calendar days after notice to proceed (NTP); complete all work within 30 calendar days from NTP. NTP is issued only when the equipment is available
- Place of performance
- Pineville, LA (Amendment 0001 corrects the earlier Shreveport, LA entry). The statement of work gives the Alexandria Veterans Affairs Health Care System facility, 2495 Shreveport HWY 71, Pineville, LA 71360
- Estimated value
- Magnitude of construction between $100,000 and $250,000
- How they'll choose
- Best value tradeoff: the Government compares non-price factor ratings with price. Factors 1, 2 and 3 are equal in importance and together about equal to price.
- Offers due
- November 30, 2026, 10:30 AM Central
- How to submit
- One email with a single consolidated PDF attachment (no larger than 10 MB) holding all volumes and a copy of the bid bond, sent to the contract specialist in SF 1442 block 8 (andrew.misfeldt@va.gov)
What they'll judge offers on
- Factor 1, Approach - Schedule - Quality Management: (a) management approach narrative with phasing plan, (b) draft project schedule, (c) quality management
- Factor 2, Professional Qualifications and Experience: (a) key prime contractor staff, (b) subcontractors
- Factor 3, Past Performance: two to five recent, relevant projects
- Factor 4, Price
What to include when you submit
- Use Arial 11 font; pages over the stated limits are not read (the page limit table was not in the text that could be read)
- Email subject line: Company Name, 36C25627Q0087 (one place adds: and OR Chiller Replacement)
- Send questions in writing by email to the contract specialist; answers are issued by amendment
- Provide a draft project schedule using a fictitious June 1, 2027 notice to proceed date, a phasing plan to limit patient care impacts, and a quality management narrative
- Provide an organizational chart and resumes for the project manager, site superintendent and quality control manager; each of the first two needs at least five years of experience on similar projects
- Send a commitment letter for any proposed project manager or superintendent who is not yet your employee
- Past performance: send a minimum of two (2) and a maximum of five (5) projects completed within the last five (5) years similar in size, complexity, and scope, on Exhibit A
- Past projects must show you as prime contractor managing subcontractors, with construction value between $100,000 and $250,000, 100% complete or ongoing and more than 50% complete
- Send Exhibit B questionnaires to prior clients to return to the contracting office separately; the Government will not penalize offerors if one is not received
- Identify key subcontractors and their socioeconomic status; send no more than five (5) Exhibit C subcontractor consent forms
- Include the signed SF 1442 and any amendments, the completed schedule of offer items, the divisional price breakdown, Exhibit D (safety record and experience modification rate) and Exhibit E (surety form)
- Include a legible bid bond, wet signed with no white-out and with the notary impression clearly visible
- Complete and return VAAR 852.219-75 (limitations on subcontracting certificate) and FAR 52.204-8 annual representations and certifications
- Show SBA certification as an SDVOSB (a verification showing the seal) in the pricing volume; a joint venture must send its joint venture agreement and a signed certification from each SDVOSB partner
- Bid bond, joint venture papers and safety-record exhibits are due with the proposal, not after award
After award, you must have
- Chiller startup by authorized Trane Service, and personnel trained and licensed or certified for chiller installation, startup and commissioning From Final OR CHILLER REPLACEMENT SOW.docx:
Startup must be performed by authorized Trane Service to maintain warranty validity.
Current contractor
No incumbent is named. The Brand Name Justification and Approval says the Trane CGAM120 is required to match the existing Trane building automation system, and the current chiller is described only as at the end of its serviceable life. No market research counts or Government estimate are given.
Not in the notice text
- Part of the solicitation file 36C25627Q0087.docx (about 31,900 of its 135,384 characters, from the middle, mostly clause text) was attached but not read.
- Page limits for each proposal factor: the table was not in the text that could be read.
- Where the site visit meets and whether attendance is required
- Whether performance and payment bonds are required after award: check SF 1442 block 12 on SAM.gov
- Which Davis-Bacon wage determination applies to Pineville; the attached one lists the Louisiana county of Caddo
- The contracting officer's representative and facility contact are listed as TBD in the statement of work
Eligibility and how to respond
- Only service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) certified through SBA's VetCert can bid as the prime contractor. Not certified through VetCert yet? Apply on VetCert (SBA), or start with the SDVOSB guide. More open service-disabled veteran-owned set-asides under NAICS 238220
- How to submit, from the AI summary: One email with a single consolidated PDF attachment (no larger than 10 MB) holding all volumes and a copy of the bid bond, sent to the contract specialist in SF 1442 block 8 (andrew.misfeldt@va.gov). Check it in the notice before you send anything.
- Construction contracts over $2,000 pay at least the local Davis-Bacon wage rates, from the wage determination in the solicitation. Price your labor from it: How to price a government contract, and how Davis-Bacon differs from the Service Contract Act.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 26, 2026
- Notice type
- Presolicitation
- Office
- 256-Network Contract Office 16 (36C256), Ridgeland, MS
- Product/service code
- Z2NZ · Repair or Alteration of Other Utilities
- Business type
- Construction & renovation (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 238220)
- Versions
3 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 26, 2026 · Amendment 0001Due Nov 30, 2026
- Oct 26, 2026 · SolicitationDue Nov 30, 2026
- Oct 26, 2026 · Presolicitation (this version)Date Nov 30, 2026
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
- How to read a government solicitation
- How to price a government contract
- Open SDVOSB set-aside contracts
- SDVOSB and veteran-owned contracts
Terms on this notice: Solicitation, SDVOSB (service-disabled veteran-owned small business), Set-aside
Full notice text from SAM.gov
Amendment to correct GEOGRAPHICAL AREA WHERE WORK IS TO BE PERFORMED: Pineville, LA.